Towards the end of 90's, World Championship Wrestling was starting to run out of ideas that could feasibly haul the promotion back to the top of the North American grappling food chain. The glory days of 1997-1998 already seemed like a lifetime ago by the end of 1999, and the less said about the year 2000, the better. Many people were aware that ECW were struggling to make money, but a lot of that was attributed to the fact that TNN, who were carrying the group's television output, didn't seem all that interested in pushing the product as anything special. In fact, TNN didn't really seem to want to advertise the shows at all! It was theorised that ECW would be better leaving the network, seeking a fresh place to hang their hat. Stunningly, a lot of fans in late-1999 and into early-2000 really thought that if ECW could achieve this, they could oust WCW as the second-biggest wrestling company in the US, supplanting them as a dominant force. WCW was looking decidedly shaky, whereas ECW seemed far more exciting, but the reality was that Paul Heyman was running on empty, both creatively and financially.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
